''Singaar'' () is a

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language

romantic film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey through d ...

directed by J. K. Nanda. Produced by R. B. Haldia under his production company, the film stars

Suraiya Suraiya Jamal Sheikh (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004), mononymously known as Suraiya, was an Indian actress and playback singer who worked in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian c ...

Madhubala Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. She is considered as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema. One of the country ...

and Jairaj, with

Durga Khote Durga Khote (née Vita Lad; 14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an Indian actress, beginning as one of the foremost leading ladies of her time. She remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starr ...

and K. N. Singh appearing in supporting roles. The music of the film was composed by Khurshid Anwar. Also written by Nanda, ''Singaar'' featured Suraiya and Jairaj as a couple whose marriage begins troubling after he falls in love with a prostitute named Sitara, played by Madhubala.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

of ''Singaar'' took place in Shree Sound studio in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, and was marked by professional rivalry between Suraiya and Madhubala. After many delays, the film was theatrically released on 12 December 1949, and became a critical and commercial success. Madhubala's work specially gained widespread praise. The following year Anwar won an award for composing the music of the film.

Plot

The film tells the story of a doctor who carries an extramarital affair with a dancing girl.

Cast

The cast of ''Singaar'' included: *

as Shanta *

as Sitara * Jairaj as Dr. Kishan * Amir Banu as Sitara's mother *

as Kishan's mother *

Madan Puri Madan Puri (30 September 1915 – 13 January 1985) was an Indian actor of Hindi and Punjabi films. His brothers were actors Chaman Puri and Amrish Puri. As a character actor mainly in negative roles (villain), he acted in about 430 films in ...

as Dr. Niranjan * K. N. Singh as Kishan's father *

Shivraj Shivraj (; 1920 – 3 June 2017) was an Indian actor. Selected filmography *'' Singaar'' (1949) *'' Andolan'' (1951) (He played a key role) *'' Patita'' (1953) *'' Devdas'' (1955) *'' Seema'' (1955) *'' Dekh Kabira Roya'' (1957) *'' Miss Mar ...

as Ramu * Randhir as Ramesh *

Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...

as Dancer *

Prem Dhawan Prem Dhawan (1923–2001) was an Indian lyricist, music composer, choreographer and actor of Bollywood known for his patriotic songs, especially for the lyrics and compositions for the 1965 Manoj Kumar starrer, ''Shaheed''. He was the winner of ...

as Dancer

Production

The

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

of ''Singaar'' took place in Shree Sound studios between February and May 1949. The film's was a troubled production, marked by professional rivalry between

and

. Reportedly, the latter was unhappy with Madhubala's rising fame and felt that the diligent actress did not deserve the attention director Nanda was paying to her.

Mohan Deep Mohan Deep (born Mohan Kishinchand Chandirramani in 1948), is an Indian writer. He has written multiple books on Bollywood film personalities, including the books: ''The Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala'', ''Simply Scandalous: Meena Kumari'', ...

, Madhubala's biographer, has stated the following in his book ''The Mystery And Mystique of Madhubala'' (1996):

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Khursheed Anwar, and lyrics were penned by Deenanath Madhok, Nakshab and

Shakeel Badayuni Shakeel Badayuni (3 August 1916 – 20 April 1970) was an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter in Hindi / Urdu language films. Early life Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mohammed Jamaal Ahmed Sokhta Qadi ...

Release

''Singaar'', despite being completed in May, was distributed in July. It was ultimately released on 12 December 1949.

Reception

The film was a box office success and became the seventeenth highest-grossing film of the year. It received excellent reviews from critics, but while its production values and soundtrack were lauded, some criticism was directed towards the slow-paced direction. '' The Motion Picture Magazine'' nevertheless called it one of the best films made in 1949, describing it as a "fabulous picture well acted". Madhubala's portrayal of a prostitute was critically acclaimed, and critics rated her superior to the leading actress Suraiya. Film critic

Baburao Patel Baburao Patel (1904–1982) was an Indian publisher and writer, associated with films and politics. Career Baburao: A Pioneer of Indian Cinema. Baburao was a key figure in the early days of Indian cinema. He started his career as a journalist ...

stated: "Madhubala beats Suraiya hollow in every sequence they meet. She stores more emotions in a single face than would a thousand girls with as many faces." ''Singaar'' is said to be a watershed film, which started the downfall of Suraiya, the leading star of the time, and simultaneous rise of Madhubala, who later became the top actress in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Awards

Music director Anwar won the "Clare Award for Best Music Director." He was praised for giving "folk touch to several numbers."

References

Sources

* * *

External links

*{{IMDb title, title=Singaar, id=0141826 1949 films 1940s Hindi-language films 1940s Indian films Indian musical drama films 1940s musical drama films Indian black-and-white films 1949 drama films